In his Examiner column last Friday, Ronan O'Gara said that Paris was growing on him and he would not be returning to Ireland any time soon. 'Rugby-wise, the Top 14 is where it's at', he wrote.
Today, courtesy of Midi Olympique's most valued reader over this side of the water (aka, Gavin Mortimer), we learn that the bible of French rugby is reporting that the IRFU have formally attempted to coax O'Gara back to the old country.
With Les Kiss having departed for Ulster, the IRFU were seeking to recruit the Racing Metro's defence coach.
Attention all Irish: 1) Midi says Ronan O'Gara has knocked back an approach by IRFU to replace Les Kiss & will extend his stay at Racing 92
— gavin mortimer (@gavinmortimer7) November 30, 2015
O'Gara has served as Racing's defence coach since the beginning of the 2014 season. His occasional penchant for getting trampled over by bullocking opponents has been referenced by the more mischievous members of the players' whatsapp. Mortimer's twitter feed also confirmed that Eddie O'Sullivan's unhappy time as Biarritz coach is 'officially over'.
2) Midi reports that Biarritz and Eddie O'Sullivan have reached an agreement on a severance package & his stay in France now officially over — gavin mortimer (@gavinmortimer7) November 30, 2015